Count Gotō Shōjirō (後藤 象二郎; 13 April 1838 – 4 August 1897) was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatsu and early Meiji period of Japanese history. He was a leader of Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, jiyū minken undō) which would evolve into a political party.
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👉 Gotō Shōjirō in the context of Tosa Domain
The Tosa Domain (土佐藩, Tosa-han) was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Tosa Province in what is now Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Kōchi Castle, and was ruled throughout its history by the tozama daimyō Yamauchi clan. Many people from the domain played important roles in events of the late Edo period including Nakahama Manjirō, Sakamoto Ryōma, Yui Mitsue, Gotō Shōjirō, Itagaki Taisuke, Nakae Chōmin, and Takechi Hanpeita. Tosa Domain was renamed Kōchi Domain (高知藩, Kōchi-han) during the early Meiji period until it was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 and became Kōchi Prefecture.
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Gotō Shōjirō in the context of Freedom and People's Rights Movement
The Freedom and People's Rights Movement (Japanese: 自由民権運動, romanized: Jiyū Minken Undō) was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy during the Meiji period. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the unequal treaties with the United States and European countries, the institution of civil rights, and the reduction of centralized taxation. The movement prompted the Meiji government to establish a constitution in 1889 and a diet in 1890; on the other hand, it failed to bring the government under parliamentary control, and its authority was ultimately repressed by the Meiji oligarchy.
The movement began with the 1874 submission of the Tosa Memorial, a petition calling for a representative assembly, by a group of former government councillors including Itagaki Taisuke, Gotō Shōjirō, and Etō Shimpei. It quickly gained momentum, evolving from local political societies of disaffected samurai into a nationwide movement that drew support from rural landlords, wealthy peasants, and liberal intellectuals. The government responded with a mix of concessions, such as the Osaka Conference of 1875 and the establishment of prefectural assemblies, and repression, including the passage of restrictive laws on the press and public assembly.
Gotō Shōjirō in the context of Aikoku Kōtō
The Aikoku Kōtō (愛国公党; "Public Party of Patriots") was a political party in Meiji-period Japan.
The Aikoku Kōtō was formed on 12 January 1874 by Itagaki Taisuke, Etō Shinpei, Gotō Shōjirō and others as part of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Its purpose was to petition the Meiji government to establish a national assembly and on 17 January submitted to the government a "Written Proposal for the Establishment of a House of Representatives".
Gotō Shōjirō in the context of Yoshida Tōyō
Yoshida Tōyō (吉田東洋; 1816 – 6 May 1862) was a Japanese samurai and Karō from Tosa domain. Gotō Shōjirō was his nephew-in-law.
In 1853, Toyo was appointed by the head of Tosa domain Yamanouchi Toyoshige to reform and modernize the domain.